Just noticed that my new job in Chicago is about 3 blocks from Quad's Gym on the northside. Just need to find a way to convince the wife that it's worth it to work at one gym and pay dues to another one.

whats there to talk about. ed coan will be there. i am sure she will be as excited as you will be

Spent some time working on my setup. Tried going back to feet out in front but kept sliding up the bench in that position, so went back to feet tucked under and gripping the bench with my thighs to stay put. I'll have issues if I want to do any more USPF meets but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it.

Chest-Supported Barbell Row3x95x10

I think these will be better to work in than the Kroc rows on bench day because then my lower back gets a little break before squats on Fridays. I can probably get away with a little more volume because of that, so I'll work my way up to 5 sets over the next couple weeks.

These were all easy, and done with a full front squat on each rep so that it would double as a squat warmup.

Barbell Squat155x3 (70%)180x3 (80%)200x3 (90%)5x110x10 (50%)

No low-percentage warmups since, like I said, the cleans served that purpose. That made a big difference, I didn't feel so gassed like I did after all this last week. Also did all my squats without a belt, which was fine since I wasn't going for rep maxes anyway.

I decided at the beginning of this cycle that I wanted 10 with 315, so I hadn't pushed for any other deadlift or squat PR's the whole cycle. Told my training partners that if I hit it, I was done for the day, if not, I was going to finish my accessory work as usual. The 8th and 9th reps were a bitch, but I didn't want to have to do a bunch of extra accessory work, so I pulled off all 10. Tony also hit a 50lb PR by pulling his first 500, and Amy got a 20lb PR by hitting 225 at a BW of 118ish (didn't get it on video but it was a super-clean lift). I am definitely an advocate of 5/3/1 after almost 4 full months of a ton of PR's.

Then messed around with Mark Bell's new Slingshot device for bench pressing. This thing is pretty cool, and very easy to use. I'm sure I'll be getting a few when they go into production for use with some of my more banged-up clients.

your buddy needs some technique work on his pull though..he's struggling with teh heavier stuff because the bar is way too far out infront. Have him put it a lace or two down his shoe or right OVER the arch of his foot and drag that baby up his quads. I bet he's good for another 10+lbs on his PR if he tweaks it!

This is supposed to be a deloading week, but instead I'm taking my bench and deadlift openers and doing some submax singles with my military press, squats and cleans and will do a full deload next week. 12 days out right now.

Opener went much, much slower than I was anticipating, but I attribute it to not following Wendler's advice on not taking any rep maxes the last cycle or two before a meet. I think I'm still a little banged up from the 315x10 last week, and then I went a little above and beyond the required stuff on my cleans and squats Saturday - not PR's, but just a little more than the required reps. I'll spend a good hour in the hot tub today, take a bench opener on Thursday in case I decide I want to bench at the meet, and then pretty much shut it down until the 30th.

Been busy with the move, spent the last week just deloading and working the kinks out of my back and glutes after driving 2100 miles in 3 days. Today was my first real training session since January. Ended up not lifting at the meet on the 30th, my event promoter duties took too much of my time that day.

Tried using an APT bench belt for my last set to see how I'd like it, I thought since it was a little thinner and my power belt gets up into my ribs that I might like this one better. I was wrong. I'll stick with the power belt.

GHR2xBWx82xBWx6

Front Squat3x95x10

Ab Wheel3x12

Still recovering from the move. My weight keeps going down instead of up, which is not a good thing. I was right around 183 or so before, and yesterday I weighed myself at an even 170. I was 176 last Monday and I've been eating pretty consistently. Strength doesn't feel too off but I want to figure out what's going on. The new gym also does the Charles Poliquin BioSignature testing, which I had done yesterday. The 12-site skinfold had me at 20.9% bf, which is fucking insane. I know I've added some fat, but that coupled with the weight loss scares the shit out of me. In essence to get back down to about 12-13% where I usually am I'd need to drop to about 160. Sweet shit.

Last set barely went. Got it without having to use any leg drive but there's no way I could have landed rep #4. Next cycle I'll drop my max by 10% and work my way back up so I can get some new rep records set again.

Assisted Chinup 9x light x8

Did these between sets of presses and dips until I got all 9 sets. Getting a little closer to 100 total reps every week. At that point I'll drop down to a monster mini for assistance and work back up to 100 from there.

Parallel Bar Dips 5xBWx8

Barbell Curls 3x65x8

Side Neck Flexion 3xBWx15/side

Neck measurement is up a half an inch since I started doing neck work regularly. Still tiny but less tiny than before so that's a plus.

In other news I need to find a good training partner out here. I need someone to occasionally light a fire under my ass (literally or figuratively, either way is fine).

All sets were beltless, so I'm not sure if that 310x3 is technically a raw PR or not. Ordered a 10mm Inzer Forever Belt that should actually fit me but in the meantime I'll just do 100% raw because my other belt's just too fucking huge.

I'm jealous of your gym man, it's hard to find a good lifting gym where i live. I would pay anything to train at an olympic training facility these days.

I used to do a shitload of neck exercises back when i was kickboxing and i guess all that muscle has stuck with me over the years. Even after 3 years of barely even training i have a 18" neck and i'm less than 8% BF right now.

That Inzer 10mm will last you a lifetime, i've had the same one for at least 7 years and it is still as stiff as the day i got it.

Tried to get a session in last night at the Xsport my wife works at. Got 3 warmup sets of bench in before I got paged to the daycare to get my kids because my oldest kicked another kid. So I tried again today:

Reps were plenty deep after watching the video but didn't feel like it while I was doing them so I didn't push for more than 3. Makes a difference wearing a belt that fits. Grabbed one of the double-prong EFS belts that were on sale this week and it showed up just before my workout. Very nice for 32 bucks.

Ran out of time after the squats, a client showed up that nobody had put on my schedule so I had to stop to train him for an hour. My accessory work on squat day has been garbage and it shows. I was planning on getting at least 3-5 sets of squats at about 50% and some more ab work in. Need to get the work in if I want to get anywhere with my squat. A 2x BW squat is still a loooooooooooong way away right now.

Catching up - suffice it to say I should have pulled my maxes back prior to starting my 7th cycle of 5/3/1. The first 3 workouts I barely hit 5 for overheads, got 2 on deads with a weight I've done for 12, and got 4 on bench with a weight that I've done for probably 10. So I'm starting the cycle over with training maxes reduced by 10% again. It's the whole "2 steps forward, 1 step back" concept.